Policy and practice

Investment in affordable housing forms a major plank of the country’s social policy and CIH believes it is as important to the nation’s future as education and health.

Housing policy is devolved in the UK, and CIH's teams in England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland work to shape policy and campaign for a fairer housing system in each of the devolved nations. As the professional body for housing, we are often asked to comment, advise and give evidence during the development of new legislation. Our analysis and the views and experience of our members feature in parliamentary debates and have brought about important changes.

Our practice teams support housing professionals to demonstrate performance and achieve more for less in a difficult operating environment, equipping individuals and organisations with the tools and knowledge they need to put policy into practice and deliver excellent services to their tenants.

We publish a range of publications that are free to members and designed to equip you with the skills and knowledge you need day-to-day.

Our focus on influencing newsletter gives you a detailed look at the latest policy and influencing work CIH has been involved in each month, and our range of what you need to know briefings provide you with the most important information on a variety of policy and housing topics.

As the professional body for housing, we play an important role in upholding professional standards, recognising good performance and sharing good practice across the sector.

Recent changes to regulation and inspection provide us all with new challenges around how we share good practice, identify what good outcomes look like and learn from each other. Our charters support housing organisations to assess their work in a range of core service areas.